FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT GAME BOY - PAGE 2

A fed-up mother had her 12-year-old son arrested for allegedly rummaging through his great-grandmother's things and playing with his Christmas present early. Brandi Ervin called police Sunday after learning her son had disobeyed orders and repeatedly taken a Game Boy from its hiding place at his great-grandmother's house next door and played it. The boy's case will be presented to Department of Juvenile Justice officials, who will decide what happens to him, police said.

Studying and understudying: Stephanie Seale, 13, of Evergreen Park is understudy for Priscilla Behne, who has the lead role of 10-year-old Tina Denmark in the musical mystery spoof "Ruthless," at the Forum Theater in Summit. "I remain downstairs of the theater during each performance. The other understudies and I play Game Boy and do our homework," Seale said. The teenage actress hopes to make her career in theater but hasn't yet picked up the cut-throat competitiveness of the stereotypical child star.

Pok'emon fans have a new reason to cheer. Pok'emon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition ($30, Game Boy) is here. Even though it's little more than an enhanced version of Red and Blue, it should be enough to satisfy gamers until Gold and Silver versions are available. The biggest difference in the new game is storyline. In Yellow, Professor Oaks gives Pikachu to Ash. From this point, Pikachu is always visible on-screen while Ash explores different areas in the game. Visually, Yellow looks much better than Red and Blue.

Planning on taking a road trip or long plane ride this summer? Here are a couple Game Boy games that will make the journey more enjoyable. Wario Land 3 is a much-improved sequel to Wario Land 2. This side-scrolling platform game enhances the run-and-jump action of previous games and adds an interesting story line and challenging puzzles to create an instant Game Boy classic. Visually, the game has lots of color and smooth animation. But the real joy comes with the game play.

Letting children play video games on a Game Boy in the operating room before undergoing surgery can help relax them better than tranquilizers or holding Mommy's hand, researchers say. Doctors found that allowing children a few minutes to play the games reduced their anxiety until the anesthesia took effect. "We find that the children are just so happy with the Game Boy that they actually do forget where they are," said Dr. Anu Patel, an anesthesiologist at University Hospital in Newark who plans to present her findings at a medical conference.

The biggest buzz at E3 was the release of Sega's much-hyped video-game console. The new platform actually delivers on its promises and leaves competitors looking dated. Dreamcast will impress even hard-core gaming fans who may have given up on Sega. It's a cleverly designed machine that pushes the limit in terms of 3-D graphics, audio and disk-drive speed. It also offers instant Internet access that will allow gamers the opportunity to play competitors from around the nation. Dreamcast, which will hit stores on Sept.

By Edited by RedEye staff members (ritaredeye@tribune.com) | May 14, 2003

It could be the dream of every post-adolescent male: the versatility of a PlayStation console; the portability of a Game Boy. Look out Nintendo, Sony is moving into your territory. The gaming giant announced Tuesday that it's launching a hand-held PlayStation, which will be available at the end of next year. Not much is known about the device, other than it will feature a color screen, power equal to the original Playstation and a new high-capacity optical disc made especially for it. Ladies, now you don't need to complain that your boyfriends just stay home and play video games.

Sharpen your skates and grab your sticks-it's time to hit the ice. Here are four superb hockey games: NHL Hockey (Genesis, $54.95). This is the best hockey game we`ve ever seen, and one of the best sports games (it made our list of the Top 15 games for 1991). The graphics are terrific. The game play is incredibly smooth, fast and realistic. You control real NHL teams in tournament or exhibition play against a friend or the computer. This is pure hockey. No gimmicks, no funky angles or weird points-of-view.

P. Diddy's former umbrella holder Farnsworth Bentley made being a peon look glamorous. What special tasks do other celebs have for their posse members? Stuff magazine did some digging, and it looks like Farnsworth may have had it good: - Mariah Carey has an assistant who follows her around and whose various duties include keeping the diva's "long skirts from touching the floor" and lugging around a Louis Vuitton backpack filled with bottled water, according to the magazine.

Ending months of speculation, Nintendo finally revealed its new mystery device: Nintendo DS. It's a dual-screen handheld, allowing developers to perhaps display character information on one screen while the action plays on the other. The graphical capabilities have not been discussed, but don't expect Nintendo to let Sony's upcoming PSP handheld walk all over it, as both systems are slated for Q4 2004 releases. However, the DS will not replace the Game Boy in any way -- the GBA is still Nintendo's chief cash cow. Nintendo is positioning it as a new system.